Scottish First Aid Week highlights the life-saving power of First Aid

Scotland’s dedicated First Aid charity, St Andrew’s First Aid, can help you become a hero this Scottish First Aid Week (24-30 November).

Taking part in a range of volunteer-run events during Scottish First Aid Week 2013, now in its second year, is how heroes are made.

You might marvel at the fact that fewer than one in four Scots (23%) are trained to administer First Aid so if you’ve ever wanted to gain life-saving powers, you can train or volunteer to become a hero, support St Andrew’s First Aid heroes and even download or buy heroes’ First Aid packs and tool kits.

MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, James Dornan, SNP, has gained parliamentary support for St Andrew’s First Aid’s ‘Count Me In’ campaign, with a motion set to be debated at Holyrood during Scottish First Aid Week on Wednesday 27 November. ‘Count Me In’ aims to gather support for the idea that no-one should die because they needed First Aid and didn’t get it. Each year, 34,000 Scots are admitted to hospital as a result of day-to-day household accidents which could have been combated by a First Aid hero. In order to battle against these threats to public health by raising awareness of the importance of knowing First Aid, this year, St Andrew’s First Aid hopes to achieve the equivalent number of signatures on an online pledge as part of ‘Count Me In’. If you would like to pledge your support today, sign online athttp://www.firstaid.org.uk/the-pledge.

Famous Scots such as Annie Lennox and James McAvoy, as well as a host of legendary football teams, from Hibernian, Hearts and Aberdeen to Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton have signed T-shirts to be auctioned on eBay.

You won’t need superpowers to see the Scottish First Aid Week and St Andrew’s First Aid mobiles (our specially-branded trailer) so send in your snaps of the ‘How Heroes Are Made’ artwork, wherever you are in Scotland, to fundraising@firstaid.org.uk as you hunt the heroes.

Volunteer Stuart Pearson who is involved in many of the events north of the Central Belt said:

“We are all extremely excited to be involved in Scottish First Aid Week. I’ve really enjoyed being creative and coming up with ideas for raising awareness and funds but at the same time, it’s important to remember the more serious fact that First Aid can save lives and that learning how to administer it is how heroes are made.”

The finale of the week, the Scottish First Aid Awards, which will be held on 30 November at the Edinburgh Sheraton Hotel, will allow heroic Scots to come out from behind their secret identities and be rewarded for showing superhuman skills when saving lives. Although attendees need not wear costumes nor masks to the event, the dress code for it is black tie, and it is sponsored by healthcare giant GlaxoSmithKline and supported by The Scottish Government, Young Scot and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, will be hosted by presenter Michelle Watts and feature entertainment from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

During Scottish First Aid Week please take the time to learn First Aid so that you can become a hero and together we can save lives.

If you would like to donate to St Andrew’s First Aid, please text SFAW03 £2 to 70070, sign up online at https://www.firstaid.org.uk/make-a-donation or send your donation to St Andrew’s First Aid, St Andrew’s House, 48 Milton Street, Glasgow, G4 0HR.